False Self

by Linda Hopkins

It’s essentially a biography of a psychoanalyst who was famous in the 60s and 70s called Masud Khan. It’s an extraordinary exploration of a highly intelligent and citable man’s attempt to be honest with himself and others and his failure to do so. It was the era in which psychoanalysis was developing the technique of regression through the transference which means that you will re-experience your difficulties in early infancy and as a toddler through the relationship with the therapist. Unfortunately, Masud didn’t really achieve this.